Masks
by Anna-Jay
Summary: Tao Trooper Abe spends the evening with his favorite Captain. One-sided attraction. Implied slash.


Abe sat in his room, hands idly playing with his mask. Even though he had been a Tao Warrior for over a month, he still wasn't use to wearing it. When he was working he would fiddle with the edges, or he would take it off when no one was watching. When he took it off for the day there would be red marks outlining his face. Other days he would get headaches for no reason, which would only go away once the mask was off. Kamo had caught him without the mask a couple of times, but he had only gotten a light scolding.

It wasn't that Abe didn't like wearing his mask. He took his job very seriously and often overdid it, but his mask was the only part of his uniform that he had a problem with. When it had been stolen, he beat himself over the event mainly because his uniform was no longer complete. He would be letting down his Captain, and he couldn't bear to do that. Now that he had it back, he was presentable.

_ 'But this mask,'_ he thought bitterly, holding the item of his discomfort up to his eyes. _'This mask is making my job difficult.'_

He could have asked for another mask. One that would fit better. One that wouldn't give him headaches, red marks, or make him an embarrassment to the Tao name. But he couldn't. It would make him look like he was complaining, that he didn't want to be a Tao Warrior. He was just a guard, a replaceable little pawn for Captain Waka. Abe didn't want to be replaced. He loved his job. He loved being able to work for his Captain. To see him work, listen to him talk, to accidentally bump into him late at night. Those late night moments were Abe's favorite. They would only give a passing greeting.

"Bonjour, mon guerrier!" The Captain would greet, his mischievous eyes gleaming in the candle light. "How goes your rounds?"

"Ah, they are, um, good!" Abe would respond, hands flying up to his mask to make sure it was there. "Quiet and peaceful, as it should."

The Captain would laugh, and Abe would smile. Waka would then pat him on the shoulder before continuing on to his destination, parting with "keep up the good work, mon guerrier." Abe wished he knew what it meant. No one knew the language. Abe figured it was something positive, maybe meaningless. All Abe knew was he enjoyed listening to the Captain. No matter what was being said.

Abe placed his mask upon his night stand. It was no use to wear the item now. The moon shone through the curtains, and Abe could only guess that it was past three in the morning. He had the first shift and if he wanted to make it on time then he would have to go to bed now. However, he wasn't tired. He wanted to run into the Captain again, wanted to listen to his strange language. But that would have to wait until the next night. He was probably gone on a mission to help the mother goddess and her small friend.

Abe made to grab his hat when the faint sound of a flute eased into his ears. He paused, taking in the sweet yet sorrowful tune. He had heard the song many times when the Captain was on the ship. He played a variety of songs, but this one must have been his favorite. It was becoming Abe's favorite too, yet he wondered why the Captain would like such a sad song. There were others he could play, merry and playful ones. They would match his personality much better. This song struck Abe as odd.

Taking his hat off all the way, Abe continued to get ready for bed. His mind, however, decided it wanted to go investigate what the Captain was doing. It wasn't the first time the compulsion to go to the Captain when he was playing. The other times he had managed to shove the need to the furthest recess of his mind and proceed to bed. The gods must have decided that tonight was not going to be the same. Still dressed in uniform, minus his hat and mask, Abe slipped his saddles on and sneaked out into the night.

It wasn't hard to find the source of the music. Sitting on the edge of the ship was the Captain, his white, feathered hat flowing in the breeze as he continued to play his flute. Abe stayed a respectable distance, content on remaining hidden and simply watching the lone man.

All too soon the song ended and the Captain put his flute down. He continued to watch over the city below, his thoughts seemingly far away. With his curiosity sated and the growing need to go closer to the distant man, Abe silently turned to return to his quarters.

"Mon guerrier," the Captain's musical voice carried after him. "A moment, please."

Abe nearly jumped out of his skin and swiftly came to attention, standing straight and trying to ease the embarrassment of being caught. Waka twisted to look at the Tao Trooper with a smile playing on his lips, causing Abe's heart to flutter.

"Don't be so stiff, mon cher," Waka chuckled, holding out a hand. "Come sit with me."

Abe almost didn't believe his ears, looking back and forth between the outstretched hand and the Captain's eyes. Snapping himself out of his stupor, Abe approached the edge, trying not to look too eager. He gently took Waka's hand and allowed him to help him up onto the edge. Together they watched over the quiet city basked in the glow of the crescent moon. It was just as it should have been. It was calm, quiet, and clear of the toxic smog. It was, for the moment, safe.

Abe snuck a glance over at the Captain who had his eyes closed. He seemed relaxed, an unusual sight now days. While he gave off the air of one who held no cares in the world, Waka was always doing something. From helping the Queen to aiding the mother goddess, Waka was busy helping clear the world from evil. Abe wished he could help somehow, but he couldn't. It was against his orders to leave the Tao Ship or Sei'an City. He just wanted to be helpful.

"Beautiful isn't she?"

Abe jumped as Waka opened his eyes, his cool gaze watching the guard.

"Wh-what was that, Captain?"

Waka smiled and pointed up at the moon.

"The moon, my trooper. She, like the sun, is constant. She watches over us in the night even when we cannot see her. She is ever changing, disappearing and returning, but she is always there."

The prophet continued to watch the moon, his face twisted as if he was remembering something from the past. The wistful, longing tone in the Captain's voice and the look saddened Abe. Carefully, Abe laid his head against the man's shoulder, the Captain's feathered hat cushioning his head. Waka stiffened, but he relaxed immediately. He gave a small chuckle before laying a hand on Abe's head. They sat in silence, simply taking in the night air. Abe forced his face to remain calm and passive, but on the inside he was giddy and practically jumping for joy. Waka was touching him! It was too good to be true.

The hand on his head gently moved, tracing around Abe's face. The trooper held perfectly still as the wandering fingers touched as they pleased, seeming to be following a specific path. The hand got to the bridge of the younger man's nose before trailing back up to the top of his head.

"Thank you, mon cher." He said softly, patting the trooper on the head before removing it. Abe took his cue to raise his head, trying to ease the blush off his face. He opened his mouth, but the Captain cut him off.

"It is getting late, my warrior." Is all he said, his gaze focused on the city. Abe wanted to protest for he could see the other was still not comforted, but he knew better than to argue. While it wasn't an order, Abe didn't want to inconvenience him. He stood from his seat and bowed deeply.

"Have a good night, Captain."

Waka smiled and nodded. "Bon nuit, mon guerrier."

Abe hesitated a moment more before walking off. When he felt he was a good distance away and out of distinct ear shot he jumped up and down, a smile plastered to his face. He touched the side of his face Waka had touched, trying to memorize the way the fingers felt along his skin. He gave a small laugh before running to his room, his heart beating happily as he closed the door for the night.

The next day after his shift, Abe peeled his mask off his face, happy to get it off. He glanced at his reflection and caught the angry red lines outlining his eyes and forehead. He sighed. There was little he could do about it now. He was about to put it away when he saw something. Sitting on top of his dresser sat another mask. It was the same one all Tao Troopers had to wear, so he wondered how it got in his room. He thought perhaps Kamo was playing a trick on him, but the other guard was, to his knowledge, still at his post.

Abe picked up the mask and turned it in his hands. Unthinkingly, he brought the mask up to his face and tied it on. It was a perfect fit. It didn't pinch or pull at his skin; it rested comfortably where it was supposed to.

Abe blinked at his reflection, noticing the differences it made. He took the mask off and simply held it, his mind circling around who could have given him a new mask. He never made mention of it, so who could it have been?

He didn't have time to think on it when his door slammed open.

"Abe! Mother Amaterasu has returned to the city. We need to be ready if she needs us."

Abe nodded before tying his mask back on, noticing only when he returned to his post that it was the new mask nestled on his face.

In the distance, music could be heard once more.

* * *

**I do not speak French or know much about it. If any of it is off or wrong just let me know and I'll fix it.**


End file.
